Dubrovnik, Croatia

I got out of bed at 10:00 today, showered, dressed, and got ready to see more of Dubrovnik (grabbing my backpack and stuffing a towel inside in anticipation of going to a beach layer today to lay out in the sun). I walked to the old town, entered through Pile Gate, and turned left to the entrance for the city walls. After buying my entrance ticket, I walked up to the city wall and followed it counter-clockwise. I walked by Placa Stradun (having a great view from the city wall above), the former Convent of St. Claire, and past Fort Bokar (though I could not enter the fort, most likely due to ‘Game of Thrones’ using it for filming – why must Hollywood use and destroy everything beautiful in this world?). I then continued on along the southern edge of the old city, with great views of the tiled rooftops within, and the Adriatic Sea and Lokrum Island without. I continued along the wall, passing by some cafes and construction and made my way to St. John Fort. Then, I continued on the city wall route and passed by the Old Port and the Dominican Monastery. I was now on the northern-side of the wall and I walked toward Minčeta Tower, having even greater views of the old city. I then reached the tower (which was open to the public – hooray!) and I climbed up the stairs to the top of it. After viewing the city and surrounding area from Minčeta Tower, I returned to the wall, took some more photographs overlooking Placa Stradun, and then walked back down to the city below. I then walked through the streets of the old town to Fort Revelin, where the Archaeological Museum of Dubrovnik is located. I entered inside the museum and viewed the artifacts on display (mostly relics from Early Christian churches). Next, I walked to the Old Port and bought a ticket for the 15:00 ferry to Lokrum Island (the peaceful and pleasant island only 600 meters away from Dubrovnik). I waited around for nearly an hour before the ferry was set to depart and I then rode it to Lokrum Island – it was a ten-minute ride. Once the ferry docked at the pier on the island, I disembarked and walked to the old Benedictine Monastery (the monastery and abbey were originally founded in 1023 AD and the Benedictine monks left the island in 1808 AD; now the monastery and abbey are nothing more than ruins and a restaurant). I then followed several trails northward, through some idyllic olive orchards and up to Fort Royal, nestled on the high point of the island. At Fort Royal, I entered inside the citadel’s tower and had some nice views (albeit, quite obscured due to tree growth) of the island, the sea, and the old city of Dubrovnik. After exploring the remains of Fort Royal, I walked back the way I came, to the monastery, and then to the southern end of the island. I then walked through some forest trails before finally making my way to the “beach” on the south-eastern end of the island – this “beach” that I went to, as well as many others in Croatia are nothing more than rocks, which doesn’t exactly qualify as a beach according to Mr. Meriam-Webster. Anyway, I made my way to the “beach,” found a decent spot to bask in the sun’s last effective rays (it was past 16:30 at this point), laid my towel out, stripped off my clothes (yes, it was that type of “beach,” where I was wore nothing but my birthday suit), and laid out in the sun. I stayed in this spot as long as I could, but as the sun began to descend further in the sky, I had to move; so I grabbed my towel and backpack, and moved to the end of this “beach,” where I laid out for a little longer. Then, as the sun became blocked by a tree, I moved again. I then stayed in this last spot until 18:00, when I dressed, packed my bag, and walked back to the pier on Lokrum Island. I then took the 18:15 ferry back to the Old Port in Dubrovnik. Immediately after entering the old city from the port, I was greeted with the sounds of music; the Notre Dame Concert Band was performing in front of the St. Blaise Church and I had managed to catch the last few songs (I and others were originally told they would begin at 19:00, not end before it – oh well, at least I caught part of their show and it was nice to see some fellow comrades from the States). I then walked back to the hostel from the old city. On the way to the hostel, I stopped at a local supermarket and bought some snacks, drinks, and a bottle of Croatian Rosé wine. I then returned to the hostel, dropped my stuff off, and soon left again to eat dinner. I walked to a nearby pizzeria and had some local beer and a spicy pizza with tabasco sauce (in lieu of tomato sauce), paprika, sausages, and peppers. After dinner, I returned to the hostel, hung out in the common area, and drank my bottle of Croatian Rosé wine, which tasted of plums, spices, and raisins, it also had a vinegar tarnish to it and wasn’t very good (I suspect that I may have gotten a lemon . . . I hope so anyway). Later on, around 23:00, I went to sleep.